Tangled
by shadowglove
Summary: Caroline Forbes and Sam Winchester study at Stanford, are boyfriend and girlfriend, and believe that they're dating the most normal person ever, trying to forget for a moment their less than savory pasts. And they're not the only ones with secrets.


**Disclaimer: Don't own Vampire Diaries or Supernatural.**

**TIMELINE: PRE-SEAON ONE for SUPERNATURAL, AU FUTURE for VAMPIRE DIARIES**

**A/N2: Part of my Girl x 5, where I pick a girl, and put in five guys names and prompts into a hat and randomly picked them out.**

**This one was Caroline Forbes x Sam Winchester = Secrets.**

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"Oh what a tangled web we weave,

When first we practice to deceive!"

Sir Walter Scott, _Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17._

_Scottish author & novelist (1771 - 1832)_

{*v*v*v*}

There were a lot of advantages to being a vampire. Eternal youth being one of them.

There were also a lot of _dis_advantages to being a vampire though. Eternal youth being one of them.

It was why Caroline had decided to go to college while she still could, deciding that she'd get her degree and if anyone commented on her youthful appearance she'd just smile innocently and tell them she had _great_ genetics to thank. Her mother had been worried about letting her go. Vampire or not Caroline was her only child and Sheriff Forbes knew very well of the dangers out there-hadn't she already 'failed' Caroline once already by letting the girl get killed and sired into the very same creature that Sheriff Forbes herself had once hunted? But thankfully her mother had let her go to college after many hugs and tears and threats to come and visit if Caroline didn't call her often, and Caroline had gone to California to enjoy the sun, surfers, and sand. She'd gone there to be normal for as long as she could, because she knew soon enough years would pass for "good genetics" not to be a good enough excuse any more and she was going to have to take up Stefan's offer to travel around with him and Katherine.

Before then, though, Caroline wanted to live as normally as a vampire could. She enrolled in the most normal college she could find, made friends with the most normal people she could find, went to live in the most normal apartment she could find...and started dating the most normal boy she could find, Sam Winchester. It was only sheer luck that Sam was _gorgeous_ and sweet and _perfect_. And he offered her the normalcy she so desperately craved. Another great thing about Sam Winchester was the fact that since he didn't like talking about his past or family he really didn't pry into hers, and that meant she didn't have to make up lies. She didn't want to lie, not to him.

"Hey baby!" She smiled brightly, tilting up her face to meet his kiss as he leaned down to brush his lips against hers. "What are you doing here?"

Sam grinned, flinging an arm around Brady, his best friend since he'd left family and everything he'd known after earning a full-scholarship to Stanford to study Pre-Law. Sometimes it shocked Caroline that she had somehow managed to find someone so incredibly smart. "Brady lost a bet, so he's here to donate blood."

Caroline's lips twitched as she saw the obvious discomfort on Brady's face. "You must have been very sure you were going to win if you accepted that bet."

He nodded, grumbling to himself.

Despite wanting a normal life for as long as she could have it, Caroline knew that she was a vampire and thus couldn't exactly live _normally_, it was one of the reasons why she'd chosen her college. Stefan knew some connections in the area who owned a blood bank who would let her work there part-time and she'd get paid in blood. The place was run by a family that were rumored to have _many_ vampires in their bloodline, and so it made sense that they catered to the _vampires_ in the area. Of course the humans donating blood didn't know that, but they were saving lives...most probably their own. As long as there was fresh and ample blood the vampires didn't have any need to hunt and drawn unneeded attention to themselves.

And many, like Caroline, just wanted to live amongst the humans and forget, even if just for a second, that they weren't human anymore.

"Fill in these forms and someone will be here for you in a minute." Caroline handed Brady the clipboard and forms, flashing Sam a grin before looking down to continue with the typing she'd been doing, thus she didn't notice him until he'd cupped her chin and lifted her face to another kiss before going to help the grumbling Brady fill in the forms.

Face still tilted up, Caroline blushed thanks to her daily consumption of fresh blood, and then smiled brightly to herself, returning to her work.

Her good mood lasted the rest of the day, long after Brady had fainted from seeing the needle, something Caroline and Sam chuckled about quite evilly as they lay curled up on Sam's bed late that evening, watching some old black and white movie she never would have deigned to watch as a human. The reason she _had_ given the movie a chance was because of the realization that hundreds of years in the future the things of today would seem just as antiquated as these movies...and, well...she realized that old didn't always mean _bad_. So she'd watched the movie and fallen in love with it much to Sam's obvious relief because it was one of his favorite movies and he tended to watch it frequently. Caroline knew much of the dialogue by heart, especially the sappy romantic lines, and she found herself silently echoing them along with the actors during the different scenes while resting her head against Sam's softly beating heart.

It was times like these that she was so grateful for having been turned, because if she hadn't she'd still be that vapid blonde she'd once been, and she'd never have come here, never would have met Sam...and she couldn't imagine her life without him. It hurt to think about a future in which he wasn't there, or was dead, even if it was from old age. She'd happily live with him until the moment his spirit left his body if he'd let her, but to do so she'd have to explain why she wasn't growing old...and she was already traumatized with how _epically_ terrible that had gone the last time she'd decided to tell her boyfriend she was a vampire. Of course Matt hadn't found out in the best of ways, and there was of course the fact that his sister had been tormented and ultimately killed by a vampire...but still...Matt had conspired with her mother to _kill_ her.

Caroline still felt sick at her stomach.

Even though neither of them had been able to go through with it...she couldn't help but realize that even for a second in time, the two people she'd cared for the most had been prepared to and willing to kill her.

She closed her eyes tightly, unwilling to picture Sam in that position.

She-if he-she couldn't-. The thought of the fear and disgust in Matt's eyes in Sam's as she told him the truth...it terrified her to the core.

"Care?" Sam asked, pausing the movie and running his hand caressingly over her golden locks. "What's wrong? You went tense all of a sudden."

It was the way he noticed those little things that made her fall so incredibly in love with him over and over again...and the thought of losing him...it was almost enough to make her snap and change him if only to make sure it never happened...but Caroline always had to remind herself that that was something Damon would do and _nothing_ Damon ever did had _good_ consequences. It was shocking and still mind boggling that despite all of his asshole acts and _very_ sketchy decisions that he'd somehow ended up being the one to win Elena's love...but then again Damon was different when it came to Elena.

When he'd been with Caroline he'd been brutish and abusive and before she'd been turned she'd had _scars_ from the vicious bite marks he'd left carelessly all over her body. Thankfully with the vampire blood in her they'd healed and disappeared, but still, mentally it was all there. Especially after she'd turned. When the vampire blood in her undid all of his Compulsion on her, all of his commands for her to conveniently forget every single terrible thing he'd ever done to her, she'd felt dirty and shallow and stupid and worthless and a million different things.

With her, Damon had only been the devil...

...but not with Elena.

Never with Elena.

Caroline gulped.

It had always been like that, Caroline was the afterthought while Elena was the forethought.

Elena had always been one step ahead of her, always in the hearts of the guys Caroline had wanted.

But not Sam.

Not _Sam_.

Yet still, a part of her wondered if the reason she didn't want Elena coming over to visit wasn't only because she knew that that pain in the ass of Damon Salvatore would most definitely tag along...but because deep down inside despite all the changes she'd gone through Caroline was still very much fragile and insecure and neurotic, paranoid...and certain that any boy wouldn't be able to help but fall in love with Elena Gilbert once he met her.

Sam included.

Caroline gulped.

She knew Sam loved her, she did, but Elena had some sort of _pheromone_...it was _insane_...and Caroline was _not_ going to give up Sam.

She _wasn't_!

Not-not until she had no other choice.

"_Care_?"

She flinched, realizing she'd let herself drift into her thoughts once more, losing track of time and of the one person who made time matter to her. "Sorry...I was lost in thought...what did you say?"

Sam gazed down at her, opening his mouth to say something before sighing and smiling softly at her, reaching down to caress her cheek with his calloused fingertips. "You wanna sleep over tonight?"

She smiled and nodded.

Sam grinned at her, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips when the sound of his phone ringing jolted them apart, and he frowned, picking up his cell.

Caroline witnessed the melting away of his expressions, and knew that this could only be one of two people. "Your dad or your brother?"

"Brother." Sam sighed, standing up. "I'm going to go take this on the fire escape."

She nodded, watching him grab a shirt and yank it on as he answered the phone and slipped out onto the fire escape, the only words she heard before the door closed between them were: "Hello Dean..."

She sat up in bed and looked around, patting the comforter before throwing herself down once more and snuggling up against the remnants of his heat. The blonde knew from experience that those two hardly ever spoke, and so on the rare occasions they did it tended to last for a while. That was fine with her as she yawned and stretched, mewling like a kitten, before wrapping her arms around Sam's pillow and hugging it to her chest as she slowly felt herself drifting to sleep, the murmur of his voice soothing. With her vampiric senses she could have easily spied in on the conversation, but it never crossed her mind to do something like that, respecting Sam's privacy and that of his brother.

Though, if she _had_, she would have realized that she wasn't the only one in this relationship keeping deep, dark secrets while desperately trying to live a normal life.

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Sam loved his brother, but sometimes talking to Dean could be _draining_. He sat on the fire escape, listening to Dean go on and on about the hunts that he and their father had been on since Sam had decided to 'up and leave them' and Sam knew that Dean was trying to coax Sam into leaving the life he had in Stanford and returning to them but Dean just didn't get that unlike for him, that life hadn't been heaven for Sam. He'd _hated_ the 'adventure' Dean enjoyed, the seedy bars, the loose women, the weapons and the hunting. He'd hated never having a friend for longer than it took for his father to finish up a hunt...hated the fraud they'd had to perfect to be able to finance their work...hated that he hadn't had a relationship-a _kiss_-hadn't _held hands_ with a girl until he was _eighteen years old_ and finally had managed to _leave_.

The girl who'd been his first in _every single way_ that mattered, was currently snuggled up in his bed, probably sleeping if her yawn while he'd left the room was anything to go by. Sam couldn't help but smile as he thought about his girlfriend, his one true love.

Caroline Forbes was that bouncy blonde from a small town that he'd always dreamed of. He didn't mind the fact that she didn't tell him every single thing about her life (who was he to judge considering all she knew about him was that he had a brother, a father, and they'd always had to keep moving when he was a child because of his father's 'job') but he knew more about her than he did about any other person in the world. He knew her mother was the Sheriff of her hometown of Mystic Falls, Virginia, and that her father lived in Texas with his long-time boyfriend Stephen. He knew she was a cheerleader in high school, had been Miss Mystic, and head of every committee 'that had mattered'. She came from a town where her best friend Bonnie married her boyfriend Jeremy right out of high school, distantly related cousins Katherine and Elena had alternated between brothers before switching boyfriends with each going their own different ways. It was also a place where everyone was so close that even her old high school teacher, Mr. Saltzman, called in every now and again to make sure she was fine.

Sam kinda envied her small town-utterly _normal_ and _idyllic_ childhood.

It had made her into the most beautiful, kind, sweet girl-who also had a spicy temper and could say things bluntly that others might sometimes get offended over-yet he loved it, loved that she could just say whatever was on her mind so freely like that. He couldn't. He was always too afraid he'd say something and end up blurting out the truth about his past. He'd told one girl, once, long time ago. She'd freaked out and avoided him until he and his father and brother had left town.

It'd happened a long time ago but he still remembered the look on her face.

It was a look he _never_ wanted to see on Caroline's.

He knew she loved him, he could feel it so _intensely_ every time her blue eyes rested on him, but he couldn't risk it, couldn't risk losing her.

She was peppy and always filled with optimism and sunshine and she was everything he'd always dreamed about.

But she also had to be the most normal girl he'd ever met.

He remembered when he'd first seen her at some pep rally Brady had dragged him along to. His best friend had wanted to introduce him to one of the cheerleaders, Jess, and Sam had to admit that she was _gorgeous_, but the moment his gaze had rested on this other blonde with blue eyes who was nearly _bouncy_ with energy-smile lighting up the whole place-he hadn't been able to do more than be polite with Jess before excusing Brady and himself and asking his friend who _that other girl_ was. Brady had seemed surprised and a little taken back by his interest, probably since before that moment Sam had very much been _terrified_ of meeting people due to his fear of secretly revealing just how much of a freak he'd been...

Brady though had grinned brightly and dragged Sam to the girl, who'd turned and smiled at them when they'd approached...and Sam had fallen completely in love with her at that very moment. He'd always be grateful to Brady for the part he'd played in bringing him and Caroline together.

"So how's things over there?" Dean finally asked, clearing his throat. "Getting bored of Normalville yet?"

"Nope, I'm really enjoying it here." Sam replied, gazing down at the street. "I'm studying for finals though, so that has me tired a lot of the time."

"You're getting soft, Sammy." Dean teased. "Before it'd take two poltergeists, one witch and two ghosts to get you even a _little_ tired!"

Sam smiled. "Yes, well, I'm beginning to think one of my teachers, Mrs. Cromwell, might be a witch, so that could be the case."

There was a pause. "Seriously?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "No, Dean, I was making a _joke_."

"Don't joke about those things you bitch!" Dean growled at him, protective. "If you ever think something might be wrong there you tell me and I'll come take care of it for you, you got that? Don't be going all hero and trying to deal with the situation yourself. It's why you got me."

Sam smiled, knowing this was his brother's way of telling him he loved him and missed him and worried about him. "I know."

"Good." Dean replied, before chuckling. "So, tell me about the Stanford _girls_. Anything like the Stanford Wives?"

"That's _Stepford_ Wives, Dean." Sam chuckled, amused that Dean even knew about that.

"Whatever." Dean mumbled, before clearing his throat. "Gotta go, dad's knocking on the door for some damned reason."

Sam's heart hurt a little at the mention of their father, the man who'd disowned him for wanting to be normal, and he hardened his heart just a little more against the man. "Take care of yourself."

"Course I will." Dean laughed before hanging up.

Sam sighed as he stood, slipping into his room. His frown melted into a smile as he found Caroline sleeping, hugging his pillow, and absolutely hogging the whole of his bed.

The young student yanked off his shirt and slipped into bed, easing Caroline slightly away so he could have a tiny bit of the bed to himself...and his smile grew as the second he was able to lay down completely she'd wrapped herself all around him like some clingy octopus. It was utterly adorable how whacky she was when she was sleeping.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Sam turned off the light and reached for the remote. Putting the volume down low as to not disturb her, he finished watching the movie, her cheek resting above his heartbeat...just how he loved it.

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Despite the fact that Sam never broke the promise to always keep it on, Caroline constantly found her eyes searching for the necklace she'd given him, making sure _every morning_ that before he left he was wearing it. The moment she'd realized she was falling for Sam, _really_ falling and not just attracted to the life of normalcy he offered, Caroline had called Stefan in for a favor. He'd Fed-Exed the vervain necklace for her the next day and she'd given it to Sam as a gift, making him promise to never _ever_ take it off. And when Sam promised something he kept his word. It was one of the things she loved about him. And it was because she loved him she had to protect him, especially from herself. Knowing he had the vervain necklace would keep her from being tempted to Compel him. She was paranoid and clingy and possessive and jealous...those emotions amplified after having been turned...and she'd fought off the many times she'd wanted to do something rash when she'd seen someone, especially that Jessica Moore, trying to flirt with _her_ guy.

But at least now she couldn't Compel him to tell the bitch to leave him the hell alone (in not so nice words). She loved him, so she had to trust him, and while that was hard for her because of her nature she was willing to do so because of Sam.

Not only though did she want to protect Sam from her, but she wasn't the only vampire out there, and not all of them had her regard for human life. At least this way, should he ever come up against a vampire and not have her to protect him, he'd have a fighting chance.

Stefan warned her against this, against falling in love with Sam, especially if she didn't want to tell him about her being a vampire. Stefan reminded her over and over again how spectacularly bad that'd gone for him and Elena, how the brunette had been so hurt and afraid when she'd discovered the truth on her own...and then Katherine would remind Stefan how very happy Elena was right now with Damon...and that just made for a very tense evening in general. Stefan had really gotten his heart hurt by Elena, and as Caroline's protector he wanted to save her from the pain as well, but as Katherine put it, Caroline had the right to make her own mistakes.

The blonde jogged through the park close to her apartment, trying to get her thoughts in order. She'd had her blood for the day, had no classes today, and her shift at the blood bank didn't start until evening, so she had some nice hours to herself. That was good too, because she needed to think. Elena had called her the night before, giving her the news that Bonnie was pregnant with her and Jeremy's first kid, and that she wanted Caroline and Stefan back for a special party being thrown for the expectant parents. Bonnie and Jeremy both kept in contact with Caroline and Stefan, and the vampires knew that they were more than welcome back in their homes.

Although she doubted Katherine would be invited in.

And there was the fact that Caroline was expected to bring _Sam_ with her.

And she didn't want to.

Caroline groaned as she pressed forwards.

She loved Sam, and there was nothing more that she'd like to do than to introduce him to her friends and her mother...but he was smart...and although his mind obviously wouldn't go to 'vampire', 'werewolf' or 'witch' the second he met her friends...she knew he'd notice something was off. Also, she didn't trust Damon not to do something nasty or to mention the fact that she and he used to-just to annoy Sam. And she knew Sam loved her, but if he knew she was a vampire whose best friends were vampires, werewolves, witches and a doppelganger...she wouldn't _blame_ him for running to the hills!

Sensing something, Caroline turned in time to be pushed against a tree, face to face a smirking brunette.

Caroline didn't even struggle, knowing there was no way she could overpower the older vampire. "What are you doing here, Katherine?"

"Really? That's how you treat your granny?" Katherine snorted in amusement, tightening her hold on Caroline's shoulders. "I killed you once, Caroline, I could do it again."

Caroline's blue eyes narrowed at the other vampire. "We both know Stefan would never forgive you if you killed me, especially if it was for no good reason, and we both know you'd never do anything to make Stefan angry."

"Correction, I'd never do anything to make him _brood_. Angry Stefan I _like_." Katherine let go of her, gazing around the park. "Well, at least you're keeping in shape, not as bad as I thought I'd find you." She returned her gaze to Caroline. "So where's loverboy? I've been _dying_ to meet him."

Caroline narrowed her eyes further. "You touch him, Katherine, and-."

"What? You'll stake me?" Katherine sneered.

"No." Caroline smirked. "I'll call _Stefan_."

Katherine glared at her. "Stop using him to threaten me."

"Stop threatening Sam." Caroline responded.

"I didn't _threaten_ him." Katherine scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "I was just asking about him."

"When it comes to you, that _is_ a threat." Caroline replied.

Katherine watched her before smirking. "Well, can't say you don't know me." Off the look Caroline was sending her, the older vampire rolled her eyes. "Okay _fine_. Stefan got that phone call from my doppelganger and he's been all broody and unbearable since. He keeps thinking about the fact that he'll never be a father, and about the fact that Damon beat him to Elena, and all sorts of boring thoughts that aren't important yet he seems to think they are." Katherine sighed. "I got _bored_."

"I still don't see how this has _anything_ to do with your being here." The blonde mumbled, uneasy.

"You're Lexi 2.0." Katherine nearly accused. "Whenever Stefan feels broody or in one of his moods and he wants to _talk about his feelings_ he comes to look for _you_. So my disappearing will not only make him wary, but when he comes to talk to you and sees me here it'll jerk him out of his little snit because he'll be so worried about all the crap I would have pulled to make your perfect little lie of a life miserable."

"Well maybe instead of getting jealous that he _talks_ to me you could show him he could talk to _you_." Caroline pointed out, unimpressed and uninterested.

Katherine snorted, as if that had been the most stupid advice she'd ever received. "I don't _want_ him to talk to me." She rolled her eyes. "That's what he has _friends_ for. I'm quite happy with him using me like a sex toy."

"Do you even _know_ Stefan?" Caroline wanted to know, confused. "Damon might have been the type of sex toy you wanted, but Stefan is a _lover_. He's sweet and kind and thoughtful and like cuddling and afterglow conversations." The blonde declared. "I mightn't have _ever_ slept with him, but it's quite obvious really given his personality. Even when he was all _Ripper Stefan_ he was all about the cuddling and pillow talk, Elena told me _all_ about it. So maybe, if you want a sex toy, you should try someone else."

"Do I _look_ as if I came here to hear you jabber about love and romance?" Katherine rolled her eyes. "God, no _wonder_ you get dumped all the time! You're such a _drag_."

That hit a vulnerable nerve in Caroline and she flinched away. "_Who_ is the one having guy problems in her relationship?" She wanted to know, snippy. "_I_ don't have to wonder every time I screw my boyfriend if he's imagining me or my doppelganger."

Katherine's eyes flashed with her annoyance. "I killed you once Barbie, don't think I won't do it again."

"You said that already." Caroline pointed out feistily.

"_Or_..." Katherine continued with a devilish smile, almost as if the blonde hadn't spoken at all. "I could just take it out on your little boy toy."

"_No_." Caroline shook her head, taking a menacing step towards Katherine despite knowing that she would never be able to beat her in a fight. "You will _not_ go anywhere near him."

"Are you ashamed of your _family_, Care?" Katherine used Matt's old term of endearment for her mockingly. "Honey, if you can't bring your boyfriend home to meet the parents there really isn't any future for you two together, is there?"

"_Katherine_." Caroline growled, worried sick at the thought of putting Sam in danger.

"_Fine_." Katherine rolled her eyes, pouting as she folded her arms over her chest, hip jutting out. "I'll _behave_. But only because I know Stefan's on his way here and he'll be all boring and preachy if I do anything to your special little friend."

Caroline didn't know if she could trust Katherine to keep her word, but she realized with a sinking feeling that she didn't really have a choice.

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"I have to tell you, man, that I understand your jealousy." Brady declared as they worked out together in the gym a couple of days later.

"I'm not _jealous_." Sam grumbled as he took out his frustration on the weights.

"Right, and I'm naturally kind and sensitive." Brady snorted, rolling his eyes in amusement. "Dude, just look at you, you're fucking _tense_. How long has it been since you've gotten any?"

Sam ignored that question yet put more effort into his weight lifting, bench-pressing more than he usually did.

"I reckon the last time Little Miss Caroline gave you any was right before this _Katherine_ chick showed up." Brady obviously wasn't going to let this go, seeming to thrive on causing Sam mental anguish sometimes. The dick. "I mean, didn't Caroline say there was some really fucked up past between them? And yet all of a sudden the chick shows up, basically _steals_ your girlfriend, and you haven't seen hide or hair of her since this girl's arrival."

Sam finally couldn't help it, securing the weights before sitting up, wiping at the sweat on his brow, jaw tense. "Look, Caroline never told me what exactly it was that happened between them, but if Katherine is here she obviously is trying to patch things back up and I need to respect Caroline's need for space right now as she works things out with this girl."

"Bullshit." Brady declared, leaning against the equipment. "Don't you see what's going on here? This girl-who I'm more than sure is _bitching hot_-had a 'complicated' relationship with Caroline in the past, then she returns and suddenly has commandeered Caroline all to herself? Dude. Your girl's being seduced away from you by her ex girlfriend."

Sam rolled his eyes, sometimes wondering why he was best friends with the blonde. "Caroline and Katherine were never in a relationship."

"Have you come out and asked her that?" Brady challenged.

"No. Of course I haven't." Sam shook his head.

"Then how can you be so sure?" Brady wanted to know.

"Because Caroline and I don't have any secrets between us." Immediately Sam felt guilty as he said that but pushed it down and away stubbornly. "She's told me all about her past relationships and I've told her all about my non-existent life before coming here. There are _no_ secrets. We know everything about each other."

"Once again, bullshit." Brady reached for his water and took a long sip before continuing. "There's no such thing as complete honesty in a relationship. People keep secrets from each other, even if they're the littlest, whitest lies. She keeps secrets from you and you, my friend, keep secrets from her, even though you try to bullshit otherwise. How can I be so sure? Because you're a man and it's in your nature."

"Since when did you suddenly start watching Doctor Phil?" Sam snapped.

"Fuck you man, I'm deep." Brady assured him. "Seriously take a moment and just think about what I'm saying. You and Caroline? You were like friggin _bunnies_ man. But look at you now. Ever since this other girl came in the picture Caroline hasn't called you up _once_ for a booty call, has she? She's getting it elsewhere, man. A _chick_ is shoving her fingers up that sweet little cunt your cock used to fucking own."

"Do _not_ talk about my girlfriend like that." Sam growled, annoyance growing because Brady's rant was starting to get to him. There was just something about Brady sometimes that made Sam think things he never would have on his own. Sure, he'd been sexually frustrated and missing Caroline like _hell_ these last couple of days since the mysterious Katherine had come to town, but Caroline had called and asked him to give her some time to fix the issues she had with this girl and Sam had been more than willing to do so. He could understand, because should Dean or his father arrive he'd need to ask for the same thing and how could he do so knowing that he hadn't handled her need for space like he would want her to handle his should the time come?

Thinking rationally Sam had no problem waiting for Caroline to do whatever it was she needed to do, he'd be waiting for her.

But, well, now that Brady had said all those things all these little doubts were being planted in Sam's mind like seeds.

Sure, this Katherine girl might be problematic but did that really warrant Caroline avoiding him for almost a week? Why couldn't he at least meet this infamous girl? What was the past drama between them? Why had Katherine all of a sudden decided to reconnect with Caroline?

Why did Katherine demand so much of Caroline's attention that _his girlfriend_ didn't even have time to call him or answer most of his calls?

Something dark inside him that he didn't even want to acknowledge bubbled, and Sam stood, grabbing his towel, stalking away.

"Hey! Asshole!" Brady laughed, hurrying after him. "What the hell man? Where are you going?"

"To the blood bank." He replied, pushing the door open and storming through. "She's my girlfriend, right? I just am going to go there and see how she's doing. It's nothing big."

Brady smirked as he matched Sam's long stride with his own, walking towards the blood bank, which was probably twenty blocks away from the gym and yet neither man seemed to care as they fell into step together. "See? I _knew_ you didn't trust her."

"I _do_ trust her." Sam shot back, annoyed that he was letting Brady get under his skin. "But I haven't seen my girl in _five days_ and I don't think popping in and seeing her for a couple of minutes is a big violation of her time to herself, do you?"

"Course not bro." Brady assured him. "She's your girl, you have to remind her that."

"I don't need to remind her." He informed Brady.

"Of course you don't." Brady smirked.

They were silent the rest of the walk until they entered the blood bank, and Sam failed to notice Brady's smirk increasing when they found Caroline's seat empty, and one of her colleagues, Julie, reply that Caroline had taken some time off and hadn't been around for five days. The same amount of time this Katherine person had been in town. This was really starting to get to Sam. Caroline was faithful to this job and hardly took any time off...and yet not only had she phased him out but she was slacking on the job as well. Something just didn't seem right, and that unidentifiable thing inside of him bubbled further.

Brady watched him silently, smirk knowing. "Where to now?"

"I'm starting to get worried." Sam mumbled as they left the building, hailing a cab. "I'm going to swing by over her place and see if everything's alright."

"I'll come along." Brady slipped in on the other side. "I really want to meet this Katherine."

Sam didn't say anything, just sat in the taxi and listened to Brady's fingers drum against the window until they finally arrived outside of Caroline's apartment in time to see a taxi a little bit in front of them park in front of her apartment and a handsome guy step out. The front door of Caroline's apartment opened and Sam's girlfriend appeared, face lit up in a way that caused his gut to feel stabbed, as she raced out with a squeal and jumped onto the stranger, arms around his neck and legs curled around his waist.

The stranger smiled brightly, hugging her dearly and pressing a tender, intimate kiss to her forehead.

That something in Sam bubbled darkly.

"Whoa." Brady snorted. "This feels like an episode of _Cheaters_."

"Brady, shut the hell up." Sam cursed, just proving how shook up with this whole thing he was.

A beautiful brunette with long curly hair appeared in the doorway with a roll of her eyes as she sauntered down the steps towards them as Caroline and the stranger separated finally, the blonde's feet hitting the ground the same second the brunette flung her arms around the girl's neck and smiled up at the newcomer.

The guy was tense, seeming to be telling the brunette off.

Curly Sue wasn't the least bit repentant of whatever she was being scolded for, leaning her chin on Caroline's shoulder from behind and grinning at the guy.

Caroline sighed and looked like a kid stuck between two arguing parents.

It was...odd.

"Are we getting out?" Brady asked curiously.

"No." Sam shook his head. "I shouldn't have come here...I need to respect her need to deal with this on her own."

"You're too _nice_ Sam." Brady sighed as his friend told the taxi driver to take them somewhere else.

Sam just watched the three people outside until the cab turned the corner and disappeared.

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"So what do you plan on doing with Sam and the invitation to Mystic Falls for Bonnie's and Jeremy's party?" Stefan wanted to know as he got comfortable in the living room, having decided to stay for a day or two with Caroline whom he'd wanted to talk to anyway.

"I'm not sure, actually." The blonde admitted, making a face. "I really want to take him and show him off to everyone..."

"But you're scared being there is going to raise some suspicions in him." Stefan sighed, knowing her way of thinking all too well.

Caroline nodded. "And I don't put it passed Damon to somehow make it sound like we had the biggest romance since Romeo and Juliet and that I was rebounding on Sam or something."

From where she painted her toenails, Katherine chuckled. "That's my boy."

Stefan and Caroline ignored her.

"Thing is if I mention it to Sam he's going to want to go. He's told me before how he wants to see where I grew up and meet my friends and my mother." Caroline bit down on her bottom lip, running fingers through blonde waves. "And I _want_ him to meet them! To meet _you_! I _love_ him Stefan." She couldn't keep herself from smiling softly at the very thought of the boyfriend she adored with every fiber of her being, and whom she missed like _hell_. "But I can't risk losing him, I just can't."

"Look, just Compel him to react to your being a vampire well." Katherine rolled her eyes, still intent on her job. "I did that to Damon after the _epic_ failure that Stefan's finding out turned out to be, and look how well that went for me. He was a puppy sick for my love even _after_ he was sired, because since he didn't trip over the whole 'oh my god she's a vampire' he could just grow more and more dependent on my love."

Stefan glared at his girlfriend.

Caroline wondered if sometimes Katherine didn't think before speaking. "I would _never _Compel Sam!"

"You're young." Katherine shrugged.

Caroline frowned.

"Don't listen to her." Stefan shook his head, taking in a deep breath before turning to Caroline. "I admire that you respect his self-will, and I understand and appreciate the struggle it is to not Compel the human you love..." His gaze darkened, obviously thinking about Elena.

Katherine glared at her boyfriend.

Caroline sometimes felt like she was the child of a loveless, somewhat abusive marriage. Although it was Damon's blood in her Stefan had taken over as her sire and was that to her in every way that counted, and Katherine was her ancestor, and considering that she'd 'turned' Caroline (or _killed_ her) she sometimes acted like she thought she was Caroline's sire.

"But," Stefan continued, shaking himself out of his thoughts of his lost human love. "As I was saying, I admire your ability to respect his self-will, but its going to backfire on you one day. I don't want you hurt when he finds out what you are, Care."

"He doesn't have to find out." Caroline was a close acquaintance of denial, and was quite fond of it.

Katherine snorted. "You're lucky you haven't fanged out on him during sex."

"I can...control...that." Caroline frowned. "But it's hard."

"Biting and feeding while having sex is natural for vampires." Katherine wiggled her toes, grinning happily at how the color looked against her skin tone. "You're repressing yourself and your natural instincts and you'll screw up and bite him."

"No, I won't." Caroline pressed, shaking her head. "I could never do that to him, could never hurt him."

Katherine's lips curved as her dark eyes rose to gaze seductively at Caroline through her lashes. "Humans can get pleasure from that too, you know. You just have to learn the difference from biting a lover to biting prey."

Caroline gulped, the image of biting down on Sam's neck as she rode him to climax taunting and alluring.

"Katherine, stop it." Stefan frowned at her, before turning to the blonde. "Caroline, you know I hate to say this-."

"Oh please." Katherine snorted. "You can't have your little doppelganger so you try to keep Barbie from her Ken because since _your_ human and you didn't work out you don't think Caroline and hers will work out either." She stood. "Don't get me wrong, there's no way in _hell_ that this relationship with the human is gonna last, vampires and humans just don't mix, but I want you to know that that's how it is because its the truth and not because _Stefan_ can't get over my stupid little doppelganger."

"Elena is not stupid!" Stefan defended.

"You're right." Katherine grabbed her purse, eyebrow raised. "She chose Damon." And with that she left the apartment, slamming the door.

"Should we go after her?" Caroline asked.

Stefan shook his head, taking in a deep breath. "She and I need to be away from each other right now. I don't know what I'm doing with her anyway. She's such a bitch."

"Yeah, she's a bitch, but you knew that when you got back into a relationship with her." Caroline pointed out. "No one told you to go and rebound on her, that's your own fault so don't try and put all the blame on her. It's got to be hard knowing that you're in love with someone who is in love with someone else who looks identical to you. And yet she sticks around. So you should give her credit."

Stefan made a face. "Since when did you start liking Katherine?"

"Oh, I don't, I'm just saying you can't just make her the big bad monster and not take into account your own actions and choices. You choose to be with Katherine despite being in love with Elena, and Katherine chooses to be with you despite your being in love with Elena. That's the kind of relationship you both signed up for." Caroline replied in her blunt way. "You're just going to have to live with it."

Stefan sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I don't really think I should be advising you then, huh?"

"Nah, I'll always need you and your advice." Caroline promised, reaching over and squeezing his hand.

Smiling softly at her, Stefan squeezed back.

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Oh, those two were _sickening_ with their whole lovey-dovey daddy-daughter best friend thing they had going on.

And yet, as Katherine leaned against the door, she had to smile at the way that Caroline had actually _defended_ her. It was kind of nice, knowing that although she'd killed the blonde and made it a habit to harass her, that Caroline still would say something like that.

"That's my girl." She whispered to herself, gazing down at her still wet toes through her open-toe shoe before shaking her head and walking down the steps.

The shadows across the road shifted.

The vampire raised an eyebrow as she recognized the male hidden there, and with a look each way of the street she crossed it, coming close to the man. "I _thought_ that was you in the taxi this evening."

"I knew she was a vampire." The male replied. "But I didn't realize she was one of _yours_."

Katherine nodded. "Who are you now? He's cute."

"I'm going by Brady these days." The blonde's eyes went black. "When was the last time we saw each other?"

"The Great Depression." She replied.

"Good times." He nodded.

"I know." Katherine agreed, lips a smirk, before her eyes narrowed. "If you're hanging around Caroline's boy I'm going to suspect he's one of Azazel's little projects."

Brady nodded. "And due to our...friendship...I feel obliged to let you know that should he get too..._attached_...to her I have orders to do away with her."

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "If that time should come, I'll deal with it. I'll take her away and Compel him to think she's dead."

"He's wearing vervain. She gave it to him." Brady pointed out. "And now that I'm on the subject, _why_ would a vampire do that exactly?"

"She's young, and her sire is a bleeding heart." Katherine sighed, shaking her head. "And anyway, there are always ways around the vervain. You could conveniently orchestrate the chain breaking or it going lost, and I can work my magic."

He nodded. "Should the time come, I'll let you know."

"Thank you." Katherine smiled. "Now, you _must_ know a good place to party here. Caroline only knows the good girl clubs."

Brady offered her his arm, smirking.

Taking his arm, Katherine let the demon lead her away, amused at the fact that Caroline's little normal boyfriend wasn't so normal _at all_.

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"Oh _god_ I missed you!" Caroline groaned, two days later, as she curled up against Sam on his bed, watching yet another old movie in his collection. "I know I love having Stefan around, but there was so much drama, especially with Katherine's and his _many_ issues...and when they left this morning I felt a little relieved." She pouted. "I'm a horrible friend for saying that."

He chuckled, hand caressing her hair. "I don't care. I missed you so much."

She grinned and rolled so that she straddled his chest. "You did?"

"Course." Sam replied, reaching up to cup her cheek, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Caroline, I _love_ you. I was kinda going a little insane from withdrawals."

She grinned brightly, face lighting up. "I love you too, so _very_ much."

Sam watched her intently, almost as if reacquainting himself with her every feature.

It warmed her like the sun, and Caroline knew truly and completely that she was loved by this man. She'd never felt anything like this before, and sometimes it terrified her, but it also filled her with happiness only he could give her. If only she didn't love him this much, if only her happiness didn't depend on him to such a great degree! Then maybe she'd have the guts to tell him the truth! But she did, and it did, and she couldn't risk it...couldn't risk losing him.

She'd keep him as long as she could...until she had no other choice than to let him go.

Caroline gulped, her gaze going to his neck, to the necklace she'd made him promise never to take off.

All she'd have to do was ask him to remove it and look him in the eyes, Compel him to take her being a vampire good, to love her even more than he already did...

...and yet Caroline felt sick at the very thought, and she laid down against his chest, resting her cheek on his heartbeat, disgusted at having been so sorely tempted. But she didn't have time to wallow in self-hatred because Sam rolled them over so that he pinned her to the mattress with his body.

"I love you Caroline Forbes." He whispered to her, gazing deeply into her blue orbs. "I know I'm not perfect, I'm not who I wish I could be for you, but there will never be anyone else who loves you like I do."

Tears accumulated in her eyes as she smiled up at him. "I love you too, Sam Winchester, although I'm not the perfect person for you either. But believe me when I say that I've never loved anyone more than I love you, and I never will."

"Good." He whispered possessively before swooping down to claim her lips.

Crying tears of both happiness and sadness, Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer.

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Sam watched Caroline as she slept, running his fingers softly through her hair, trying not to disturb her sleep and yet unable to keep from touching her. He hadn't been joking when he'd said he'd been going through withdrawals at her absence, and now that he'd had his 'fix' he seemed unable to keep his hands off of her and prove that she was there with him, once more, where she belonged. If he'd ever doubted his feelings for the peppy blonde, this time apart had been enough to clear any lingering doubts. He loved her. He loved her more than he knew it was possible to love someone, and he didn't think he'd be able to live life happily unless she was by his side.

He wondered if this was what his father had felt for his mother...and if it was...Sam could understand John Winchester a little bit more.

If something ever hurt Caroline...

He closed his eyes against the very thought.

It wouldn't.

He was out of that life and for good.

Sam felt bad for lying to Caroline about his past, but he wouldn't drag her into that, refused to taint her innocence with such ugliness.

No.

Hunting was his past...and Caroline...Caroline was his future.

Sam caressed the side of her face with his fingertips as he watched her sleep.

His lips curved as he realized something that made everything he'd gone through growing up worth it.

He was gonna marry this woman.

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**Review?**


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